Wildlife Road Mortality: Scale and Solutions

Road vehicle collisions kill enormous numbers of wild animals globally each year. Understanding the scale and available solutions helps drive effective interventions.

Key Facts

An estimated one million vertebrates are killed on roads in Europe every day
Hedgehog road mortality contributes significantly to UK population declines
Badger road deaths are a significant source of mortality in fragmented landscapes
Wildlife underpasses and overpasses reduce road mortality by up to 90% in some studies
Dark Sky lighting and road lighting management can reduce insect mortality at roads significantly

Welfare Considerations

Road casualties suffer acute injuries including fractures, internal trauma, and spinal damage. Animals that are not immediately killed may linger injured on or near roads, unable to seek shelter or food, experiencing prolonged suffering before death. Young animals separated from parents by road mortality may starve. The chronic stress of high-traffic noise and light pollution affects wildlife in road corridors even without direct collision, impairing reproduction and behaviour.

What You Can Do

Drive carefully at dawn, dusk, and night when wildlife is most active
Support wildlife crossing infrastructure projects in your area
Report road casualties to schemes like the Project Splatter citizen science database
Donate to wildlife rescue organisations that treat road-injured animals
Advocate for wildlife-sensitive road design including underpasses and overpasses in new road projects